Aaron McKenna vs Etinosa Oliha Preview August 8th, 2026
A pair of unbeaten middleweights will be meeting for the vacant IBF Title this Saturday, August 8th as Aaron McKenna of Ireland takes on Etinosa Oliha of Italy. The 12-round bout from Dublin, Republic of Ireland can be seen live in the UK and Ireland on Sky Sports while fans in other nations can catch it on Paramount+. McKenna’s last fight in April, 2025 resulted in a wide 12-round unanimous decision over former world champion Liam Smith. McKenna lost a point in the sixth round for elbowing and Smith hit the canvas in the final round. Oliha last saw action in September when he stopped Ivan Njegac in the third round.
McKenna vs Oliha Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Etinosa Oliha +254
- Aaron McKenna -350
My Pick
The 27-year-old McKenna, who fights out of Los Angeles, California, makes the ring walk with a perfect mark of 20-0 with 10 Ko’s and has boxed 106 rounds since making his pro debut in 2017 as a teenager. He enjoyed an extensive amateur career in which he reportedly won eight national championships and lost just nine of 161 bouts. He also captured a gold medal at the European Schoolboy Championships. He has average power as 50 per cent of his wins have come by stoppage, including two of the last three, but he has gone the distance in six of his past nine contests.
McKenna, who measures 6-feet-1-inch tall with a 75-inch reach, won the vacant WBC Youth Middleweight Title in 2021 with an eight-round unanimous decision over Carlos Gallego Montijo and added the vacant WBC International Middleweight Belt in 2023 via a 10-round unanimous decision over Uisma Lima. He took a huge leap in class against Smith last year as his biggest wins up until then were against David Benitez, Mickey Ellison, Gabor Gorbics and Jordan Grant.
Etinosa Oliha is 28 years old carries around a perfect record of 22-0 with 10 Ko’s and has 136 rounds of pro experience under his belt since making his debut in 2018. He measures 6-feet-1-inch tall with an unlisted reach so is the same height as McKenna. He won the vacant Italian Middleweight Title in 2020 and defended it twice. He added the vacant IBO Mediterranean Middleweight Belt in 2022 and captured the WBO Inter-Continental Crown the next year.
He also won the vacant IBO Middleweight Belt in 2023 with a 12-round unanimous nod over Julio Alamos and then took the IBF International Middleweight Title in 2024 via a 10-round unanimous decision over Ismael Seck. His first 16 fights were in Italy while his last six were held in Germany, all against domestic and European-level opposition. as far as power goes, Oliha is just below average as his current knockout ratio clocks in at 45.5 per cent. He’s stopped his last two opponents after going the distance in his three previous outings.
Prediction…
Oliha is the IBF’s number two contender after halting Alexander Pavlov in an eliminator and was ordered to take on McKenna. But to be honest, the IBF ranking must be pretty thin if these two relative unknowns are fighting for a world title. Oliha is known for quick, precise combinations and his counter punching skills. Both boxers are unbeaten with average power and fine skills. Just 12 of Oliha’s 22 opponents entered the ring with a winning record and it’s hard to find a recognizable opponent. Thirteen of McKenna’s 20 opponents had winning records with his toughest test being Liam Smith. With the fight being held in Ireland and the fact that McKenna beat Smith quite handily, I’m going with a McKenna victory here.
McKenna is fighting at home.
Play: McKenna -350 @ BetOnline.ag
Check out my recent boxing betting picks to see my current form.
Aaron McKenna betting • Etinosa Oliha betting